you heard the testimony, you looked into her eyes. what did you see? what do you think? as for what the jury thinks, what the jury decides, stay tuned. thanks for watching this anderson cooper special report.

columbia.

ordinarily and for all too many yearings, when this country makes the news or appears in a film or television drama, it's not for its looks, which are, i should say right up front, spectacular. it's not for its people who are everywhere i've ever met, anyway, warm, proud, generous and fun. or for its food which is truly great. >> i don't know what this is, but it's great. food in this country, clent. >> i'm not stranger in this place. generally speaking, it's a particular mix of spanish, afro-caribbean and indigenous people. these are deep waters, my friends, that no news story or miami vice has ever come close to navigating. it is and always has been a fiercely, fiercely proud country. and it's been deeply yearned to

see international coverage other than cocaine and violence. that isn't a legacy that's easy to ignore. to reach a place considered a no-go area, i'll fly out of bodoga to the city of valvencito. this is an airplane bone yard, where unwanted props from romancing the stone corrode artfully. but in reality, this sleepy hanger is a gate way to the more penetrable parts of the country. the remote settlements are cut off from the country with neither rail nor roads connecting them. there are only two ways in,

either boat for several days down river or aboard a jungle bus, which is what locals call the world war ii era, dc-3. >> i've flown worse. >> i've been braught here by pablo mauro. >> you've flown one of these before? >> yes. >> he seems to think that these great air ships and their pilots as daredevil, humanitarian commissions for the columbians. >> they've been in a movie. >> no, no, no. >> no first class, either. >> what? >> no, no. the planes travel with their own mechanic. and stuff can go wrong. the risk is we'll be able to

land, but not take off again. so this guy is our return ticket out of the jungle. our captain is joquin sa joquin san clemente. >> it's mystical. it's beautiful. they know how to sense everything. they know when the sound of the plane is not right. it's just man and machine.

>> the wealther is the big unknown around here. we have to make one stop on the way to pick up more cargo. vital cargo, by the way. the land that we're passing over is beautiful and lush. but the life for those below is anything but. until recently, most of the news coming out of this part of columbia was not good. it was a front line in the war on drugs, for lack of a better term, and columbia's long

trouble with the farc, a marxist gorilla force financed by drug trafficking. 15 years of very dirty war. the state the stakes not about drugs, per se, but the ability of ordinary columbians to live without fear. we land in the jungle outpost of mirafloise in the am zone reserve. >> farmers here would grow the stuff and make leaves into paste. traffics would come and buy it. the farc had this area of influence for years. nine years ago, the government moved to expel the farc.

the traffickers, apparently, with much success. overnight, its population shrank by 85%. and what remains struggles to survive. so people here, they were born here? >> in the beginning of the 19 another 50s and '60s, they were escaping the political violence between the two parties in columbia. >> so if you were having problems in the city or where ever you were from, you came out here? >> yeah. >> yeah. >> so what are you doing out here? cattle and some ag ri kl which you are. after that, the drug trade began. >> this climate is good for it? >> yeah, it's very good.

between '90 and '99, there was to police here. it was yus occupied by the farc. that's when the real violence began. >> so really, the problems in this country pre-existed before the drug trade. >> the drug trade made everything worse. there's judge here. there's few institutions here. basically, you know that the state is here just because the army is here. i think we're going to make the major move. >> glrks ulio says our gonzalez is the mayor of the city which has seen much better and worse days. >> how many people live here? 15,200. >> if you're running an

assistance form growing plain tans, not much else. you're not doing particularly well, somebody comes along and offers you a nice machine gun and a cool scarf, especially if you're 15, 16 years old, that's a pretty attractive offer. >> of course. >> even if they said you'll be dead by time you're 25. come on. >> it is. it is. and they offer you a salary. >> so what is the future of t s this? >> they're providing free communication and eco-tourism, as well. >> what a lot of people say is without the customer, there's no cocaine trade and there's no violence, right? so if the united states and europe stopped buying cocaine? >> that's so impossible, i can't think about it. i can't think about the situation where the demand is not going to be there. >> but the demand in the states

is down 40%. >> as long as there is a market, there will be people ready to do it. >> where should they be spending money? >> say that the help is very important. but more important is to end the war on drugs. it's just -- it doesn't work. >> here's my problem. if crack didn't exist, i would have no -- i would absolutely agree with you. but as a former coke addict and as a former crack head, that is a problem. >> the thing is, people think that if you think drugs should be eelized, you're saying that they're good, no. we're not saying that. we're just getting rid of one problem. >> you guys are freeing up a lot of money that you could divert. >> look, i'm with you, i agree. >> one is addiction, the other is drug trafficking. we're not getting rid of the other. we have to deal with it.

forever. >> it's a beautiful country. the people here, from what i've ever been, are really nice. even the bad guys are charming. >> yeah, that is true. >> the food is delicious. the problem is, the united states will never legalize drugs. it will never happen. complicated issues. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> so the good people of this town can thank us for bringing in their fresh supply of boca. think nothing of it, gentlemen, it was really our pleasure. summer shandy. it's crisp, refreshing beer, brewed with the natural flavor of lemonade that's perfect for summer days. and nights. our family's been brewing in chippewa falls for six generations. we craft lots of great beers... but this one says summer. i'm jake and we're the leinenkugels. grab a summer shandy, and join us out here.

the country's capitol and an almost two-mile high city where previously, a restaurant scene didn't exist. now, young restauranteurs such as musician turned chef are beginning to make a name for themselves at columbia.

>> i love this place. it's beautiful colors. my mom come here to buy flowers, my grandma ma, also. >> did i mention that this city is over 8,000 feet up? hence the altitude sickness i'm feeling. not good. i'm hoping this will make me feel better. palo market has been here in one form or another since the 1940s. >> i love orange juice with carrot.

>> it's probably the healthiest thing i've had in a while. >> this is better? >> i'm feeling better every hour. >> you have a better face. >> i didn't think i was going to make it out of the airport. >> in the morning? early in the morning, 5:00, 6:00 in the morning, i climb the mountain. >> why? >> you should taste this. it's made with corn. it's fantastic. i love it. >> tucked away in the back corner at the fish market is the worker's and shoppers.

we're talking beef short ribs simmered in an oily broth with potatoes, salt and scallions. thomas swears by this stuff. the traditional breakfast soup. >> do you like chili? gracias. >> yeah, now we're talking. >> there's a nice hunk of meat in there. >> good broth. >> yes. >> so what's this dish called? >> beef stock. >> broth -- rib broth. yeah.

>> i speak spanish. i speak a little mexican. [ laughter ] >> boga ta. back in the '90s, how dangerous and violent in the '90s. today, my experience here is kind of awesome. the convalaria is the recently renovated old city where i meet up with hector, one of the most supremely talented writers in

north america. hector's recent memoir is about his father who was killed for his out spoken attempts to change things for the better. >> this is a place where many have come to eat something in the morning or in the middle of the afternoon. >> the tamales here are made with chicken, pork belly combined with rice and masa, wrapped in a banana leaf and slow-cooked for hours. >> this place has been serving for a couple of hundred years. >> let's see if it is like my mother's. >> well, that's a high standard. >> i suppose it is not. >> i was just in flores, yesterday. >> what economy there was, was

entirely drug economy. now the drugs are gone, there is no economy. it's a ghost town. it's a military and people sitting there staring at the space waiting for the beer to arrive. tell me something hopeful? >> i think we are becoming more and more conscious that this past decade of violence have been absolutely useless. i think -- it's not as good as my mother's, i'm sorry. >> well, it never is. >> if you removed cocaine from the equation, if you removed the drug trade as a financial engine, you would still have serious divisions over ideology here. and is that improving? >> things are changing in a good direction. but very slowly.

they killed 7,500 people every year. three years ago, this number came to 700 people killed in every year. this equation will change. i have only questions. i have no answers. i'm so sorry. if i were the president, i really -- i don't know what to do. >> you wouldn't know what to do. >> no, i wouldment. i wouldn't. >> to suggest that a nation would expand its social services, do its best to provide medical care for everyone. as you well know, maybe in the mind of many, are those -- as dangerous and potentially deadly ideas as they used to be? >> well, 25 years ago, my father was killed just because he was

asking for these basic things like clean water, a glass of milk and something for every child. that was -- we still don't have that. we are working towards that.

stay top of mind with customers? from deals that bring them in with an offer... to social media promotions that turn fans into customers... to events that engage and create buzz... to e-mails that keep loyal customers coming back, our easy-to-use tools will keep you in front of your customers. see what's right for you at constantcontact.com/try.

this is the largest city in columbia and economic heart of the country. about a fifth of the population lives here. many of them, very well. but some, not so well. it's a city with a marked north-south divide. restaurants sit side-by-side in the macarena neighborhood where the city center meets the north. the lunch thomas is serving

us is more of fundamentals. if there's a theme here, ingredients this good, meticulously prepared, are the essence of great eating. >> it's a beautiful space. >> so how is the rest rant business? >> it's a very good business. >> a lot of people cook. >> they eat out a lot? >> it's a new part of our culture. everybody wants to go to restaurant. >> so ten years ago, a few fine dining? so this is new? >> it's new stuff. it's a new business. it's a new world. the two great values from columbia food, the mixtures from cultures, black people, white people, that's beautiful.

and the other one is all of this region of the mountain from the valleys. we are like a big from, a beautiful farm to send all of these products to the world. i believe more in a beautiful carrot than a great recipe. right? >> yeah. >> this one is crab salad and this one is homemade pasta. >> so you used to be in a band? >> i'm still. >> so what happened? >> broken rules don't make you money. >> generally speaking, the only worse idea i think i'll try to make a living making music is i

think i'll make a living, like, opening a restaurant. i see why that's so popular. good stuff. >> thomas' take on osobuco is braised over vegetables, wine and broth in a wood-fired oven. >> oh, wow, it's huge. yes. >> you don't need the knife. only with the spoon. >> this is fresh and delicious.

>> oh, the best part. >> momma didn't raise no fool. >> santiago decali is a city in the southwest of columbia known for its proximity to the pacific coast and the semi-tropical temperatures. i'm not really here for the climate. i'm here for the table. it involves alcohol and explosives. columbia mario gallino and their band mates are to be my guides to this ancient and traditional columbian sport.

>> how do you play this game? i guess that's how it's done. >> i should be good at this. i've been throwing pots in the dish sink from across the room for years. >> you win more points if you get it in the middle without hitting them. >> oh. >> but that doesn't sound like any fun.

>> it turns out we all pretty much suck at this. >> we're going to mix in other experts. >> who am i with? i'm over here. with these guys. >> so the guy in the white, stripey shirt, his name is the old chicken.

i need a poultry name. he's calling himself the old chicken. i should be the enormous co. >> nice beef. chicken. >> that's what i'm talking about. i wanted something to blow up. >> the kitchen here is up to the challenge, making a columbian sucara. this is a huge selection of fried pork, pork rib, steak, casaba, potatoes and deep-fried plain tan. >> i smell food. >> oh. >> oh, thank you. oh, that's good. you know, beer, explosives and

food? you can't beat that. [ jake ] summer always moves fast. and out here, we squeeze the most out of every second with leinenkugel's summer shandy. it's crisp, refreshing beer, brewed with the natural flavor of lemonade that's perfect for summer days. and nights. our family's been brewing in chippewa falls for six generations. we craft lots of great beers... but this one says summer. i'm jake and we're the leinenkugels.

grab a summer shandy, and join us out here.

people here like their music. my tejo buddies are the founder of the tropic. their idea is to reinterpret the tropical heritage of columbia. what sounds like salsa and style is actually kumia. >> if there's one type of music that can be classic, this is it.

>> they matched them up in the counter parts. >> as if the impressive amount of fried meat we ate wasn't enough, we go for dinner at one of the band's favorite spots. >> there was a big sort of ensemble and there were musicians from? what? i think the youngest was 25 and the oldest was 82. >> so old school and new school mix? was that oversimplification? >> we can meet not only doing music, but lots of information about, like, how music was made. how music was recorded. what was the spirit of the mu c music. >> so that's the idea. it's to get back to the roots.

>> first up, the cali virgs of ceviche. cooked shrimp, slath eerred in mayonnaise and worceteshire sauce. made it to the pacific coast, it's a staple used in everything from tamales to stews. >> so it's rice and goncha? >> the mollsi mollusk. it's like a rock mollusk. >> it's delicious.

>> you always find them everywhere. >> with all of this food, you have to accompany with some of this. it's the best way to handle this. cane sugar. >> yeah, homemade. so i'm just going to take one. columbia is like five countries in one. you definitely have to go to some pacific experience. you have to have an atlantic or caribbean experience. you definitely have to have a mountain experience. another would be just go to the amazon. just go to the jungle. >> yeah. so i'm planning a vacation. >> yeah. >> should i come to columbia? should i come to cali? >> most definitely. you will find great music, great partying, great food. beautiful views, beautiful nature around.

>> yeah, yeah. look. the country is beautiful. we know this. but most americans, they're afraid to come. is columbia anymore dangerous for a tourist than rio or puerto rico or -- >> south central. >> i mean, my impression is no. when you go to rio, you don't wear a big watch, you don't wear an expensive suit, you don't behave like an idiot and life is going to be good. >> maybe i've been lucky, but i've never been mugged or killed or robbed. most people will tell you we had an amazing time. we heard some great music. we met some beautiful girls or guys. it is the most welcoming latin

american country that i've been in. >> salute, salute, salute. and the revolutionizing. it's enough to make you forget that you're flying five hundred miles an hour on a chair that just became a bed. you see, we're doing some changing of our own. ah, we can talk about it later. we're putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time. the new american is arriving.

geico and we could help youo save on boat and motorcycle insurance too. other insurance companies are green with envy. oh, no, no, no...i'm sorry, but this is all wrong? i would never say that. writer: well what would you say? gecko: well i'd probably emphasize the savings. ya know...lose that green with envy bit. rubbish. it's just a reference about my complexion. writer: but the focus groups thought that the... gecko: focus groups. geico doesn't use focus groups. uhh...excuse me. no one told me we were using focus groups. vo: geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. try e-mail marketing from constantcontact. it's the fastest, easiest way to create great-looking custom e-mails that bring customers through your door. sign up for your free trial today at constantcontact.com/try.

>> i leave the sub tropics for more extreme clients. rio is a city 600 miles northeast of cali on columbia's caribbean sea. it borders venezuela in the east. it's home to the natives semi-know maddic people of columbia called the wiyu. they're a tough economy who has never taken side. as a result, they live pretty much by their own code. >> i meetsing a chef who comes to this spot on a regular basis.

>> it's a very rugged terrain. it's desert. there's not that much water. that's part of the spanish. they were there to colonize them. >> you've been coming here for some time? >> is it good? >> it's very good. >> goats are important to the wiyu as they're used for food, bartering and dowry payments. the old market to sell, slaughter and cook goat in the morning. today, we're having friche. >> friche is a traditional dish. it concesists of the tripes, th heart, the intestines.

>> of the goat? >> it's really fresh because they slaughter them back here. and this is where the women cook it. this is really fresh and traditional. >> so this is breakfast. >> this is breakfast. >> a little bit of everything in there? >> yeah, we have a lit bit of meat, of ribs. >> now -- it's interesting, this one, it's for breakfast and it's almost done where they slaughter. you have to eat this fresh. >> freshness is delicious. if not fresh, this would not be so good. >> there is where i say something that takes us seemlessly about fresh meat to an atv, sugar bear style.

>> tribal members have dual citizenship. luckily for us, cheap gas is easy to come by. there are no stations, you just keep an eye out for the cans. >> moegs of these guys are from venn way la. they're able to legally buy and sell gasoline. >> having taken on as much gas as can be siphoned in one sitting, we're off again. >> let me set the scene, it's hot out here, desert hot. and we plan to ride three hours along the coast to our lunch spot.

i ate salty goat inards and i refuse to wear a helmet or sun block. we had wild donkeys and goats and got lost more than a few times. so a little heatstroke leads to a lot of horsing around and we decide to open these puppies up. girl vo: i'm pretty conservative. very logical thinker. (laughs) i'm telling you right now, the girl back at home would absolutely not have taken a zip line in the jungle. (screams) i'm really glad that girl stayed at home. vo: expedia helps 30 million travelers a month find what they're looking for. one traveler at a time. expedia. find yours.

a momentary concussion is seldomly a good thing. waking up in columbia on a beach almost always is. having abandoned the epic ride, we're back to where we started at the blue sea restaurant. >> how come you're all clean? >> i changed. >> you brought a change of clothes? i. >> yes. i'm hurting. i'm feeling every minute, every hour, every month of my age. >> so are you ready?

>> i trust it will make me feel all better. you can't ask for any scenery here. >> here's some beer. >> i need the an stettic qualities of the local fire water. >> that dog has the right idea. see, i would be very happy if this is me right now. >> it's so beautiful here. it's basically tourists from columbia that are making their way up. >> but, i mean, we saw one tourist all day. >> that's nice, you can really just kick it off. >>. >> the strange of this lies in the variety of fish available. >> it's basically like a fish

chowder. with shrimp, clams, and a small kind of clam, a lobster, fish. oh, i need it bad. >> very clear sky for the caribbean. >> oh, yeah. >> some good food, shots of agargente, a nice sunset. these are things, in my experience, that will set most things right.

>> we had good fun. >> we had good fun. >> cheers. >> i always find columbia encouraging. they face problems more extreme and seemingly more attractable than any of us can imagine. and, yet, every time i come here, it gets better. yet, don't get me wrong. serious problems remain. it's particularly troublesome in a country so eager to love back. i come back from my own country to columbia, and i think if they can fix that, if they can make things better, than surely there's nothing we can't do.

for now, however, i'll settle to fixing my headache. that hurt. nasa the dead bombing suspect in boston and has wife, new evidence they are home at the bomb factory pick the jury finally getting to decide whether jody areas killed in cold blood. and only on 360, the friend who lived with the missing mom during some of the 11 years she was gone presumed to be dead. we begin with breaking news. on a day that president obama once again said the assad machine has used chemic